Minimalist Photography – Animals

Animal shooting and minimalism are going well together. You can take details of animal hair or feathers, flocks of animals or solitary individuals on meadows, in water or in the air. In addition, animals can take pictures not only in the countryside but also in the cities.

For example, in Prague, I found one place at the river, where the swan rests. When one behaves calmly and thoughtfully, the swans allow him to come very close. Then with the telephoto lens you can take beautiful minimalist details of their wings.

Cow and Fly

I photographed this photo on my bicycle trip from small town Mnichovo hradiště to a cottage in Bohemian Paradise in Czech republic. I met a herd of cows in the fence and took some pictures with my Tamron 70-300mm on Nikon D7100.

Why is it a minimalist photo? The largest area of the picture occupies a vague blurred background. In this case, it is a choked earth on the meadow. The second largest area is the head of a blond cow, but it is so blurred (off the depth of field) that it has a slight effect. The main object, the head of a black cow, occupies only a very small part of the photograph and the look of this mighty and beautiful animal is shown only in the hint. An important detail is also a fly flying around the eye of the cow.

Cow and Fly – minimalism in photography of animals. Do you see the small fly next to the eye of the black cow?

Swan Feathers

Almost in the center of Prague, on the banks of the Vltava River, there is something like a beach. You will not find bathers or tourists here. It is a place that belongs only to the swans, pigeons and ducks who are resting here. When you are sufficiently patient and give the birds enough time to get used to, they will no longer notice you. And that’s perfect for animal shooting. I took the two following photos with a telephoto lens from about two meters away from the swans.

I took the two following photos with a telephoto lens from about two meters away from the swans. The first photograph of “Swan Wings” is photographed with a Tamron 70-300mm lens set at 300mm and a second photo called “Sleeping Swan” is photographed with a Nikkor 18-105mm lens set to 105mm. Both with the Nikon d7100.

For both photos, I chose a black and white design so that the feather shapes and the gray shades are well outlined. Note that both photos fill the entire image area. This eliminates on the image anything that should not be there. Thanks to this, photography is minimalist, quiet and harmonious.

Swan Feathers

Sleeping Swan

Portrait of a Cat

In the winter of 2018 we went to work teambuilding in South Moravia. We lived in a large vineyard area where many cats lived happily. Cats were used to strangers. They caressed them, treated them, or photographed them. In particular, this picture was created in the morning before leaving home. We were waiting for the bus and so we could take a moment to photograph the surrounding vineyards. But before that, I was attracted by this cat, sitting on a wooden fence, looking around quietly.